Town Council considers Montreat College Black Mountain campus zoning request
Proposed development plans Blue Ridge Road entrance, academic building in first phase
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
November 15, 2023
A conditional zoning request from Montreat College, presented, Nov. 13, to the Black Mountain Town Council, was the subject of a nearly three-hour discussion that has been continued through December. Photo by Fred McCormick
A conditional zoning request that would clear the way for Montreat College to develop its campus near downtown Black Mountain was the subject of a nearly three-hour public hearing, Nov. 13, as the town council convened for its regular monthly meeting.
Discussion of the proposal, which includes plans to construct an entrance along Blue Ridge Road and an academic building in the first of three phases, will continue in the coming weeks.
The 108-year-old college purchased the majority of the 89-acre parcel, also known as the In the Oaks Estate, in 2001. The site was designated as an institutional campus development zoning district in 2002, Black Mountain Planning Director Jessica Trotman said while presenting the application to the town council.
“We’re going to see some movement on this campus, and this has been anticipated since the town decided this property was suitable for this development,” Trotman said of the site, which is situated west of Vance Avenue and south of U.S. 70. The west side of the property is bordered by Blue Ridge Road.
The mostly undeveloped parcel currently contains trails, athletic facilities and the historic Terry Estate Manor House. The proposed master plan, which calls for the construction of four 160-bed residence halls, a dining hall, an athletic field house and an academic building that will house a cybersecurity program, was presented by Montreat College President Dr. Paul Maurer.
The impetus for the plan, according to Maurer, was a $30 million appropriation from the state in 2022. The funding will allow the college to commence phase one of the development.
“The state has put a great deal of confidence in the college, in terms of building a western anchor facility for cybersecurity training, conferences and education,” he said. “We have the Black Mountain property, and we didn’t want to simply plop it down on the land, so we did a full comprehensive plan instead of placing one building on the property.”
The plan, which was submitted to the town in August, is designed to reinforce revenue sustainability, maintain current facilities and strengthen the college’s academic offerings, according to the application. The conditional zoning request is the first to be reviewed by the town, which established the districts earlier this year.
Conditional zoning, according to chapter 4.6.2 of the town’s land use code, allows flexibility for property development while ensuring the project is “compatible with neighborhood uses.”
“In our world, the master plan is a long-term view of how to utilize our property, and it interfaces with the college’s vision of its future,” Maurer said. “We took a number of months, hired LS3P, a highly respected regional architectural firm, to walk us through. We did a number of focus groups, interviews and conversations over several months in 2022, and that resulted in a master plan.”
The development of the campus is allowed by right under the property’s current zoning designation.
“There is no use being proposed that is not already allowed in that district,” Trotman told the council, adding that the request allowed the town increased oversight of the project. “Conditional zoning allows us to have a conversation that gives (the town) a chance to express our preferences on things the applicant is doing. In broad strokes, it would give us the ability to say we don’t want construction vehicles on a certain road, for example.”
The town planning board, which considered the application in August, recommended its approvals with six conditions:
The new entrance off of Blue Ridge Road shall be included in phase one of the project
Bicycle and pedestrian facilities shall be included at the time the residence halls are constructed and the facilities shall not be required to follow the path of the new access road
The access points at Vance Avenue and Terry Estate Drive be limited to official college vehicles and emergency vehicles
Height shall be limited to four stories and 75 feet as measured by the Town’s regulations with any rooftop mechanical equipment to be screened from public view
No construction traffic to be on Vance Avenue
A phasing map shall be included with the conditional zoning application
Under the conditional zoning agreement, according to Trotman, the college would be required to allow the town to review and approve significant changes to the plan.
“What defines a substantial change?” Town Councilmember Doug Hay asked the planning director.
The development plan for the Montreat College Black Mountain campus, presented to the town council on Nov. 13, includes an entrance and exit along Blue Ridge Road. Photo by Fred McCormick
“The base district they are in now details changes that would require a review,” Trotman responded. “That would be relocating a structure, building a new structure, relocating parking areas with more than 10 spaces, outside storage facilities and adding athletic areas would require additional approval.”
At least nine members of the public spoke during the hearing, with some commenters expressing concerns regarding increased traffic in neighboring areas and others supporting the college’s plans. Residents near the proposed development wanted to maintain the character of their neighborhood.
Montreat College has yet to establish a timeline for the first phase development, which will begin with the construction of the Blue Ridge Road access point, according to Maurer.
Much of the discussion by the town council sought clarification regarding the conditional zoning request and a separate development agreement that was included in the agenda packet. The board tabled the discussion of the development agreement until a date yet to be determined.
“We’re at the point where our attorney has advised us to go ahead and look at this agreement and conditions,” Mayor Mike Sobol said. “I think this is the time to list our conditions, let him look at them and then come back to us so we can look at this again.”
The council directed the town attorney to meet with the applicant in an effort to add specific language to the proposal regarding traffic mitigation on Vance Avenue and define changes to the plan that would necessitate a review.
The town council will review the revised conditions and consider the details of a development agreement with the college in a future meeting.
Editor’s note: The writer of this article is one of 66 property owners listed as an affected party in the conditional zoning request.